Rise of the RPS

[Haratio TaFotter]

A first-person shooter: an action game where you play through the eyes of someone with a gun, generally a soldier. Very actiony, though the stories are usually predictable. A role-playing game: a statistics driven game. Create a character and play as you want. Lots of number-crunching, sometimes complicated stories, not good for everyone. And if you combine the two? Well, the world might just end....

But its happened before, with nominal success. From the older Deus Ex, to Fallout 3, to the newest oncomer Borderlands, these two genres are bringing people together.

I have two very good friends. The first guy (we'll just call him A) loves FPS games, playing Call of Duty religiously, while hating RPGs. The second guy, S, is the opposite, being really into games like Fable and Elder Scrolls, while hating the fats pace and "stupid stories" found in A's games. However, both were overjoyed by their repective elements in Fallout 3.

So, I guess discuss role-playing shooters, why you like or dislike the ones so far, and please state why.  

[nitnit]

Firstly, yes, I do believe a new genre is in order for these style of games.

However, just to nitpick, Fallout 3 does a pretty poor job at solid FPSing, with the exception of the sniper/hunting/assault rifles and miniguns there's really no merit to not using VATs, and there are so many damage and crit bonuses with VATs you might as well just use it anyways.

On the RPG side Fallout 3 pretty flatly comes up short in terms of story and dialogue compared to its predecessors, and even compared to some recent games like Mass Effect.  

[Haratio TaFotter]

Yes, I know Fallout 3 fell short in those areas, but it had enough that both of my friends really kinda took notice. It was pretty funny how they took to the other's genres: they traded each other their copies of Call of Duty: World at War and Oblivion.  

[Tron714]

Sure i guess this deserves its own sub genre but i am a bit iffy on the whole thing. Sure there are role playing elements and fps elements as well and combined together. It is a peanut butter meets chocolate situation but i still dont know what to call it or if it should just be classified as a RPG... since you kind of do role play in every game you play... right?

There are a lot of games that have brought gamers from each genre to such games like Deus Ex and Fallout 3, but there are other games that have done so as well. Bioshock is one of those games because of Plasmids being like magic to some people and they play the whole game relying on plasmids. As for the fps gamer went through the game relying on the most powerful weapon in the game.

So i guess what im getting at is that it doesnt particularly have to have RPG elements in the game... but it has an appeal to that audience as well? So... wouldnt it still be considered a FPS none the less?

Tron714 Afterthought

Mmmmk.... i just proofread what i just typed aaaaaaaaaaaaaand yeah. I feel like i babled about nonsense but does anyone understand what i just said? xd

 

[nitnit]

Well, we can argue that bioshock can't be under this category because it has no player directed dialogue and no choices that effect the game beyond whether you harvest/save the little sisters, and how you kill stuff.

Not saying it's a bad game, but just how you define games is tricky business.  

[Haratio TaFotter]

Tron714

Sure i guess this deserves its own sub genre but i am a bit iffy on the whole thing. Sure there are role playing elements and fps elements as well and combined together. It is a peanut butter meets chocolate situation but i still dont know what to call it or if it should just be classified as a RPG... since you kind of do role play in every game you play... right?

There are a lot of games that have brought gamers from each genre to such games like Deus Ex and Fallout 3, but there are other games that have done so as well. Bioshock is one of those games because of Plasmids being like magic to some people and they play the whole game relying on plasmids. As for the fps gamer went through the game relying on the most powerful weapon in the game.

So i guess what im getting at is that it doesnt particularly have to have RPG elements in the game... but it has an appeal to that audience as well? So... wouldnt it still be considered a FPS none the less?

Tron714 Afterthought

Mmmmk.... i just proofread what i just typed aaaaaaaaaaaaaand yeah. I feel like i babled about nonsense but does anyone understand what i just said? xd

I see what you're saying about roleplaying in games, but I really disagree. To me, roleplaying is about making your own character and making your own descisions. In Call of Duty: World at War, the onyl choice you ever have to make is what two guns you want to carry and that Nazi death situation near the end of the game.  

[Tron714]

I was just thinking while looking at this thread of who would be the biggest developer for this of gameplay and it hit me. Its Bethesda!

I mean they are already working on a title just like this. Brink! I cant remember the details so you guys are gonna have to look up the details yourself unless i find a webpage article about it xD  

[nitnit]

Huh? They made one game like this, Fallout 3, and from what I've seen Brink is going to be a FPS with leveling up.

An RPG by definition should require you to play the role of a character, make decisions that that character would make, etc. It doesn't sound like brink will offer that.  

[Haratio TaFotter]

I've never heard of Brink, but I'm really excited for all the guns in Borderlands.  

[Tron714]

Yes Brink is a roleplaying FPS. Off the top of my head this is what i know. There will be 2 factoins fighting for control over something. On the map objectives change from time to time and you do stuff. Think shadowrun in a way. You pick your characters stats such as: sniper skill, smg skill, pistol, explosive, health, etc.

That's what it is about off the top of my head. Now im off to find the information to back up my post.

Edit: Ok i just copy and pasted off wikipedia

Wikipedia

Gameplay
Brink is a first person shooter. It has a story mode which can be played co-operatively online with 8 a side missions. Players can create a custom character with additional rewards given with experience points. The player can choose whether they want to play as security forces or resistance. When joining a game the player replaces an AI character similar to Left 4 Dead's method.

Players when they join a game are given a list of objectives; these objectives can be selected from a wheel. When you select an objective your team mates are alerted and can then choose to help you with that objective as an option on their wheel. As objectives are completed for the rebels the security forces must try and slow them down as much as possible to stop them winning the mission.